Biomaterials, as such Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes (POSS) and Polyhedral Oligomeric Silicates (POS), may be fabricated by the incorporation of POSS molecules into material for the purpose of providing a nanoscopic topology which favors cellular modulation, bioavailability, and differentiation.
POSS silanol biomaterials have been seen to initially coordinate to metal and ceramic implant surfaces through hydrogen bonding and further react via the elimination of either hydrogen gas or water to form a thermodynamically favored silicon-oxygen-metal bond The resulting surface is nanoscopically thin, and may be tailored to produce a uniform mono layer or a porous self assembled network providing a nanoscopic topology essentially free of impurities and controllable through selection of composition, R groups, nanostructure size and topology.
Highly rigid, shape specific, chemically tailorable nanostructures such as POSS molecules are desirable as they coordinate surface characteristics at the nanoscale, and provide a surface that is compatible with all sterilization methods. In vitro immunohistochemistry experiments have shown that certain types of POSS nanostructures cause the proliferation and differentiation of bone stroma cell (BSC) and the deposition of apatite. This proliferation and differentiation of BSC provides an indication that POSS nanostructures of appropriate form are bioactive, and therefore also biocompatible and resorbable. POSS biomaterials may also incorporate amino acid sequences, peptides, phosphates, apatites, carbonates, silicates, and related bioactive elements, chemicals, or reagents in combination with POSS cages functionalized with R═R1 hydrocarbon and R═R2 biologically active groups on the [(RSiO1.5)7(HOSiO1.5)1]Σ8, [(RSiO1.5)6(R(HO)SiO1)2]Σ8, [(RSiO1.5)2(R(HO)SiO1)4]Σ6. [(RSiO1.5)4(R(HO)SiO1)3]Σ7 and larger sized cages and cage fragments of formula types such as [(RSiO1.5)2(R(HO)SiO1)4]Σ6, (RSi(HO)O)4), (RSi(OH)2)2O.